Approximately 24 seventh-graders at Central Christian Middle School will have the opportunity to explore the North Fork Watershed this spring, because of an environmental education mini grant awarded to the school by the Ohio EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), which will provide $3,378. The grant was one of 11 funded projects totaling $45,000.
Elaine Miller, seventh-grade Earth Science teacher at Central Christian, developed the project after attending a workshop on writing grants presented by the OEEF (Ohio Environmental Educational Fund). She also received extra inspiration from workshops that focus on getting students outside to learn. The school will use the funds to purchase 12 Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, and an EnviroScape model, which reveals nonpoint source pollution. Her justification for the project was that in a recent survey, 90 percent of all middle school students were unable to identify the watershed they lived in, and didnt fully comprehend how their actions impacted water quality.
I love GPS units, so I kind of thought, how can we take the environmental side of it and incorporate technology? One of the benchmarks for Ohio is using technology. So, just trying to put two and two together, I came up with a grant, Miller explained. I was thinking OK, this is what were in, so lets incorporate that into the North Fork Watershed. So it just kind of blossomed.
Throughout the process, she contacted Wayne and Holmes Soil and Water Conservation District as well as OARDC (Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center). In order to submit the grant, she needed letters of collaboration.
Well take a look at environmental science, point, non-point source pollution, and talk about how watersheds work and how elevation plays a role in water runoff and quality of water, Miller added. The kids are excited.
Moreover, Miller is also setting the foundation for future learning and better environmental practices. The students will be able to take what theyve learned from Millers science class, and further develop that knowledge in future science courses. They can also take what theyve learned at school into their home and educate friends and family.
Itll probably take two-three weeks to do the whole unit. And I plan to do it every year. I plan to work it into the curriculum, Miller continued.
Additionally, the students will participate in a project titled, There is No Point to this Pollution, among other activities. They will have opportunities to analyze data, interpret a topographic map and plot elevation points and boundaries on watershed maps.
Other key benefits to the students include exposure to outdoor learning, understanding science and technology and having a basic understanding of the North Fork Watershed. Furthermore, the information will be disseminated in a way that will educate the elementary school students about how they affect water quality.
